The primary aim of this handbook is to encourage and stimulate growth and renewal of the "human element" within the school environment. Four processes form the objectives that are fundamental to achieving this goal: problem solving, shared decision making, open communications, and accountability. Skills in these four processes are discussed in…

In the first section of this report, a description is given of the total system, including the following elements: Assumptions, curriculum, instructional procedures, instructional program-communications, evaluation procedures, personnel management, financial management, and parental and community involvement. Following this system description is…

Discusses the benefits of teachers acting as student advocates as opposed to mere functionaries of the educational system. Describes the qualities of a good teacher while showing how educational organization and administration make it difficult for such to exist. Suggests alternatives that would maintain the necessary organization while promoting…

Focuses on the shortcomings and advantages of rural special education itinerant service delivery and suggests practical strategies for dealing with difficult work conditions. Includes implications for school administrators and teacher-training personnel. Emphasizes that itinerant teachers themselves must adjust to change, modify expectations, and…

A 1982 study of students at Ganado schools (Navajo reservation) showed students with higher achievement test scores were those who had consistently remained within the district and had best attendance averages; this enabled administrators to develop public relations programs stressing school quality and need for stability and regular attendance.…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Where High Turnover Meets Low Performance: New Initiatives Target the Special Problems of Hard-to-Staff Schools (Alexander Russo); (2) Parents as Partners in School Reform:…

This year's Schoolhouse Commercialism Trends report finds that schools continue to be a prime target of a wide variety of corporate advertising efforts and criticism of marketing to children in schools is mounting. Most of this criticism is directed at marketing activities that are thought to have a negative impact on children's health. Public…

This book presents both the practice and theory of best leadership practices in high-poverty schools. Authors Linda Lyman and Christine Villani take a unique approach by inviting readers into two high-poverty elementary schools where they will experience, through in-depth case studies, how two extraordinary principals model and practice their…

This publication summarizes the main conclusions of a national survey of 925 public school principals and 1,006 superintendents. The survey was intended to bring about a better understanding of the day-to-day realities school leaders face. The survey asked the principals and superintendents about their priorities, most pressing problems, and…

This report synthesizes the findings of four studies that focused on school districts as the center of focus for school-improvement efforts. The studies did not examine school systems that had been high performing for a long time; rather, they took their data from districts serving high percentages of students who typically struggle but were…

Rural school districts are experiencing an influx of language minority students. Rural communities generally have little experience with people from other cultures and have fewer resources and bilingual people. At the district level, leaders who view the influx of immigrants in a positive light are more likely to prepare a well thought out plan…

This book provides a tool to help school administrators take control of their lives, detailing creative strategies for surviving the daily grind while honing a vision of successful schools. Sixteen chapters examine: (1) "Surveying the Terrain: Getting Smarter About the Politics of Education"; (2) "The Vision Thing: Getting Smarter…

This report is the twentieth in a series of surveys sponsored annually by MetLife since 1984. This year's "MetLife Survey" looks at elements of leadership in the schools, and incorporates the perspectives of key stakeholders in exploring this issue: public school teachers in grades K-12, public school principals in grades K-12, and parents of…

Drinking on college campuses is more pervasive and destructive than many people realize. The extent of the problem was recently highlighted by an extensive 3-year investigation by the Task Force on College Drinking, commissioned by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The Task Force reports that alcohol consumption is…

This paper describes the initiation of curricular change in the undergraduate nursing program at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, in light of significant changes in the health care delivery system. In 1995, the program's Administrative Council adopted a Facilitated Deliberative Inquiry consensus model to manage a review of the curriculum and…